Ashwin Completes 500 Test Wickets; Sachin Tendulkar Gives Him A New Name After Achieving Landmark

Ashwin also became only the third off-spinner to achieve the feat and continues to be the second highest wicket-taker for India behind Kumble, who ended his career with 619 scalps.

R Ashwin. (Image: ANI)

R Ashwin finally grabbed his 500th Test wicket when he dismissed Zak Crawley in the first innings of the third Test going on at Rajkot. Ravichandran Ashwin claimed his milestone Test wicket as he dismissed Zak Crawley, providing India with a crucial breakthrough in a tense moment of the match. Ashwin delivered a tossed-up full delivery on leg-stump, causing Crawley to lean in for a sweep. However, the ball dipped unexpectedly, landing slightly shorter and creating a puff of dust as it made contact with the pitch.

This slight variation deceived Crawley, resulting in a top-edge that was safely pouched by Rajat Patidar, who sprinted back from fine-leg to complete the catch over his shoulder. Ashwin's achievement marks him as a modern-day great for India, and he was rightfully swarmed by his teammates in celebration of this exclusive milestone. Crawley departed after scoring 15 runs from 28 deliveries, including two boundaries.

Watch Ashwin's 500th Test wicket here:

5__0__0__* ____ _______ ___ _____ _________

Ashwin becomes only the ______ Indian to achieve this remarkable feat! _#INDvENG #JioCinemaSports #BazBowled #IDFCFirstBankTestSeries pic.twitter.com/uNqd7a87iF

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) February 16, 2024

There were many congratulatory wishes that poured in social media after Ashwin touched the remarkable figure. India legend Sachin Tendulkar was among the first notable figures to acknowledge the achievement on X (formerly Twitter). He also gave a new name to the off-spinner from Tamil Nadu. He tweeted: "500 Test wickets for a one-in-a-million bowler! In AshWIN the SpinNER, there was always a WINNER. 500 wickets is a huge milestone in Test cricket. Congratulations, Champion!"

Ashwin also got congratulatory message from Indian film star Dhanush. He tweeted: "Congratulations @ashwinravi99 on this incredible achievement. Thank you for making us proud." 

"From Chennai to the cricketing cosmos, @ashwinravi99's journey to 500 Test wickets is a saga of grit, guile, and unrivaled skill. A monumental achievement that cements his legacy in the annals of cricketing history. Bravo, Ashwin," tweeted Dinesh Karthik.

Check out the tweets here: 

From Chennai to the cricketing cosmos, @ashwinravi99's journey to 500 Test wickets is a saga of grit, guile, and unrivaled skill. A monumental achievement that cements his legacy in the annals of cricketing history.
Bravo, Ashwin!#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/R7hNC7QV9M

— DK (@DineshKarthik) February 16, 2024

Congratulations @ashwinravi99 on this incredible achievement. Thank you for making us proud #ashwin500

— Dhanush (@dhanushkraja) February 16, 2024

500 Test wickets for a one-in-a-million bowler!

In AshWIN the SpinNER, there was always a WINNER. 500 wickets is a huge milestone in Test cricket. Congratulations, Champion!#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/Cb48ZJE3XO

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) February 16, 2024

Having made his Test debut in 2011, Ashwin has come a long way.The engineering graduate from Chennai started out as a top-order batter and tried his hand at medium pace bowling before settling for the role of an off-spinner, a decision that was forced by a back injury during his teenage years.

Following the Kumble and Harbhajan Singh era, Ashwin had big shoes to fill and he has done that with remarkable consistency. In his first 16 Tests, Ashwin snared nine five-wicket hauls and became the fastest to the 300 wickets club.Ashwin has also proved his worth in the shorter formats, having played 116 ODIS for his 156 wickets in the format. He has 72 wickets in 65 T20 International appearances.